New Vegan Brand Relies on Technology, Not Cows, to Make Dairy-Identical Ice Cream

Innovative vegan ice cream brand Brave Robot recently launched in the United States. The brand is the first product from The Urgent Company, a new sustainably focused consumer food company founded by alternative dairy protein manufacturer Perfect Day and longtime dairy product developer Paul Kollesoff. Brave Robot ice cream uses Perfect Day’s dairy-identical but animal-free whey protein, which is made by inserting a cow’s DNA sequence as a blueprint into yeast-based microflora. The resulting protein product can be used to make vegan versions of dairy-based food such as milk, cheese, and ice cream. 

“As an ingredient technology, there is nothing like [Perfect Day’s “flora-based” protein] in the dairy space, so it was really a no-brainer to see if we could use this technology to create products accessible to all,” Kollesoff told VegNews. “The Urgent Company is a new type of consumer packaged goods (CPG) business: one with a singular focus to change the CPG ecosystem. What that all means we are still figuring out but we know a part of it will harness the latest in innovation and science to create revolutionary, exceptional-tasting, and sustainable animal-free foods with less impact on the planet. We figured we’d start with ice cream and bring joy in these times of crisis, because, well, why the hell not?”

Brave Robot launched with eight flavors: Vanilla, Buttery Pecan, Blueberry Pie, Raspberry White Truffle, Vanilla ‘N Cookies, PB ‘N Fudge, Hazelnut Chocolate Chunk, and A Lot of Chocolate. It is currently available in retailers in the San Francisco Bay Area with plans to expand in the Southwest region through August and September. The brand will also be available online in August for nationwide shipping.